The Christmas break is over and the New Year got underway with five matches and some catch up games in the West Wales Closed Championship (E.J. Clarke).

White Knights C played host to Nidum for the second time this season and were up against a team strengthened by the return of Adam Musson. Not surprisingly Nidum went away the winners (4-1) with White Knights C nevertheless gaining a ½ point more than they managed in their first encounter. The result leapfrogs Nidum into top spot in Division 1 ahead of White Knights A and leaves White Knights C languishing at the bottom of the table with neither a win nor a draw from any of their matches.

The other Division 1 match featured an evenly balanced tussle between White Knights B and Morriston B. The final deciding game went down to the wire with a much relieved Chris Daniel getting his first Division 1 win of the season and clinching the match for the Knights 3-2.

In Division 2 UK Merlins travelled to Llanelli where they played White Knights D and just managed to edge the match 3-2 . The two match points lifted Merlins out of the basement for the first time this season and keeps the relegation battle wide open. On the same night at the De la Beche club BF Bluebell played De la Beche A and in spite of out grading them on every board could only come away with a draw. The result takes Bluebell into second place but dropping the point has given leaders, the University, a 1 point buffer. There was just the one match in Division 3 with UK Harriers, at home, taking on Morriston E. The result went Morriston’s way by a comfortable looking 3½-1½. It brings Morriston E up alongside their D team and they appear to be evenly matched. Not surprising really when it is often difficult to tell which team is which!

West Wales Closed Championship

After the poor turnout for the second round of the West Wales Championship at the Briton Ferry Chess Club some of the postponed games were played at Upper Killay on the 4th January. The results of all the games that have been played are given below and there are now only two games outstanding. The third round is due to be played on the 8th February 2017 at the White Knights club.

Played at Briton Ferry 8 December

Bill Hewitt 1 v 0 Neil Stuart

Alan Bean 0 v 1 Andrew Smith

June Evans 0 v 1 Leighton Anthony

Played at Upper Killay 4 January

Norman Speak 0 v 1 Ralph Cook

Janet Evans 0 v 1 Bill Flew

Ian Dyer 0 v 1 Paul Bevan

Games not yet played

Ian Jones v Tony Goodchild

Joe Spooner v Peter Bevan

06/01/2017